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Mobile has influenced how we work and play, and now it will
affect how we ask for help in an emergency. This week, the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began rolling out their
Text-to-911 program supported by
major mobile carriers Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T.

While the capability will be helpful in situations when making a
call isn't safe or for those who are unable to hear or speak, the
program won’t be immediately available
everywhere, as call centers across the country plan for the
logistics and additional training needed to handle an influx of
text messages. The FCC's current target date to require all text
providers to support the Text-to-911 program is December 31,
2014.

The counties where it is offered now are using only one mobile
provider. If the service isn't available and someone does send a
text, the FCC requires the wireless companies to send a
bounce-back message to let them know.

So how does it work? You would type the emergency in the text and
have to be sure to include your location. (Unlike a landline
which would allow emergency services to pinpoint your address,
the feature isn't yet supported on the mobile platform for 911
calls.) And for now, the program only supports texts, not
images or videos.